Almost 22% of shareholders chose to withhold voting to approve the company's remuneration policy for directors – often seen as a protest vote – while just over 3% actively voted against it.

Three-quarters of shareholders approved the resolution.

Similarly investors representing just over 21% of the vote failed to endorse the remuneration report, the level of pay awarded to Chime's top executives last year, with just under 80% approving the resolution.

It is understood that Sorrell's WPP was responsible for the large "witheld" vote, however one source says it is not because of any issue with director pay or remuneration policies.

The source said WPP chooses to refrain to cast a vote to give smaller independent shareholders more of a say, a practice WPP is understood to exercise with some of its other investments.

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